A Few Banana Republic Reviews

A mix of boredom and hangover took me to Banana Republic this past weekend. My husband and I went to a dinner party on Friday night that involved very little food and a lot of (good) wine, so the morning after we were both hangover. After spending part of the Saturday like a walking dead at home, I forced myself to go out in the late afternoon to breath some fresh air. I had literally nowhere to go, since my husband and daughter were grocery shopping and I am not someone who would take a walk in the park, I need stores and cafes. The wind must have blown in the direction of my local BR, where I hadn't stepped foot in at least a year, because I suddenly found myself there. I could have just walked past the store as I usually do but a "40% off on your entire purchase" sign and the fact that I had nothing else to do pushed me in. At worst I would snap some pictures for a blog post, I thought.
Banana and my personal style are not a match so at first I found nothing worth it trying on. When I was almost walking out, I saw a chambray tee that looked promising and reminded me of last year JCrew chambray boatneck top (that I never got) so I grabbed it along with a skirt that I thought would be of "general interest" for my readers.
The shirt is called washed chambray tee and it is apparently out of stock online. It was a real surprise: the fit was awesome and it is a very nice color for spring, not too dark but not too washed out. It is made in 100% lyocell which makes it supersoft and comfortable to wear. At first I thought that the 0 would be too tight because I had a bit of a hard time to pull it through (it has a half zipper in the back) but the 0 was actually perfect one on, as you can see below:







I wouldn't have bought it at $69.50 probably, but with the 40% off it was a no brainer, it is going to look great with white denim and it looks more expensive than a Banana shirt.
The other item that I tried that day is the circle skirt. This one looked like a very easy skirt for summer (loved the fabric) but it is much fuller on than what it looks on the hanger or in the pics. The 0 fit well in the waist, which means it was the good size. It looks OK from the front:





but gives you a booty if you look at the back, probably because there is too much fabric (it is lined in cotton):


When I had already paid for the tee and I was heading towards the exit I noticed a white scarf in a beautiful gauzy cotton but I left it there because I didn't want to buy it just because of the 40% off and I also thought that it would be a good add-on to get the free shipping online in case.
But it wasn't online so when they sent me one of those 40% off "Wednesday coupons" yesterday I went back (on purpose this time) to get the scarf and try other stuff on for the blog.

I regretted not trying the thin stripe ponte dress the time before, so this time I made sure to take it to the fitting room. This dress is great, the V-neck is not too low, it isn't too short and it is made in a thick ponte fabric. It was a bit big in the center section on me but not terribly so. If I were in need of another striped/casual dress I would consider this one. I really liked this color combo, it is a bit unusual for a dress. This is the 0:




It has an exposed zide zip but it isn't very noticeable:



All in all a very comfortable dress that you can throw on and look polished in.
Another dress that I tried on, but only for the blog, is the Ponte knit square-neck sheat in the beautiful pastel green. I have to say, liked this one better on the hanger than on me, I think the square-neck looks a bit funny. Also, I am probably between sizes in this one. The 0 was a bit tight but I didn't try a 2 and I think it would have been a bit loose in the neck. Here is the 0:



Last dress, that I tried on whim and ended up liking a lot, is the circle print dress (I can't link to the website as it is currently sold-out). This one is very Boden-esque and I think you have to have the right body type to pull it off (it won't flatter busty ladies) but is really darling. I thought that $98 for 100% rayon is very overpriced and I don't really need it but I had a hard time to leave it at the store and I might get it with the next 40% as I see myself wearing it, it is a very easy dress (even if it is typically something that my husband won't like). The coral color is beautiful but it also comes in navy. The length was right on me but it would look more like a tunic than a dress on taller ladies. This is the 0:



I also want to mention that the vertical stripe skirt is almost a perfect dupe of the JCrew seersucker skirt. I tried a 0 on for you so you get an idea. It fits well, if a bit tight:



(this peplum top is the one that Wendy ordered and thought looked terrible and I just want to mention that it's not her, it's the top. As you can see it doesn't look good on me either. This is a 0).

And now a pic of the scarf that was the mean reason of me going back. It is very hard to find a white cotton scarf for a decent price and I have been looking for one. It also comes in a mint green:



The pants are mine and the tee-shirt is the luxe-touch tee in a beautiful peri color that I don't see online. This "luxe-touch" material is a bit clingy but I really liked the color and I think it was flattering (I wouldn't buy the white because of the clinginess):



I didn't know if I really needed another tee but I decided at the register that I do ;-).
I have another pick but I forgot to take a picture. It's the tie-front blouse. This one caught my eye because last year I tried a Comptoir des cotonnier tie-front blouse almost identical that I never got because it was awfully expensive. It turned out that this one is on sale for $25.99 in store so I had my revenge ;-). You will see you soon. I got the navy one but I might track down the white one too. It fit TTS (went with a 0 but it just fits, I will probably go up a size if I buy the white one).

That's it! Have you tried or bought something at Banana recently?Do you like any of these picks? Please share!